Jeffery Wayne King (born February 19, 1983) is a former American football tight end and current co-director of player personnel for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

and basketball for Virginia Tech. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

. King has also played for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

High school

A PrepStar All-American for

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Joel Hicks at Pulaski County High School, King rated the No. 3 tight end in the Atlantic Region. He was named first-team Group AAA all-state as a tight end by the Associated Press and the state coaches. He was ranked the No. 12 prospect in Virginia by '' The Roanoke Times'' and SuperPrep. He was an honorable mention All-South pick by the '' Orlando Sentinel''. He led his high school team to the Group AAA, Division 5 state semifinals in 2000. He finished his senior season with 278 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. He also registered eight sacks as a defensive end. He set a school record with 101 pancake blocks in a season. He had 12 pancakes and two receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown in a game his senior year. He was named All-Timesland as a junior and senior. King was also a basketball player who compiled over 1,000 points and 1,000

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

during his career. He averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds as a senior on the way to all-district and all-region honors. He also competed in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

for the

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

team with a best effort of 54' 7" as a junior. He was also a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

College career

King redshirted his freshman in 2001. In 2002, King played in all 14 games for Virginia Tech making only one reception, a 19-yard touchdown against Arkansas State. He also blocked a field goal against Western Michigan. In 2003, King played in 13 games with two starts. He made six receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown. He also blocked a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

against Rutgers. In 2004, King became a starter. He started all 13 games, posting 25 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He was also a Second-team All-ACC choice. In 2005, he started all 13 games. He recorded a career-high 26 catches for 292 yards and six touchdowns, a school single-season record for tight ends, and became the first player in school history to catch a touchdown pass in four consecutive games. He also blocked a field goal against Georgia Tech that the Hokies returned for a touchdown. He was also a second-team All-ACC selection.

College statistics

In his college career, King set a school record for touchdown catches by a tight end with 11, bettering the previous mark of eight. He also blocked three kicks on special teams.

Professional career

2006

King was selected in the fifth round of the

by the Carolina Panthers. He played in 12 games in his rookie season, and scored a touchdown on his only reception of the season in a game against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

2007

In 2007 his first year as a starter King recorded 46 receptions for 406 yards and two touchdowns. King made his then career long reception during the Panthers week three win over the Atlanta Falcons, with a 29-yard catch. He also had a single-game career high in receptions with 10 during a week eight loss to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

2008

With the return of Muhsin Muhammad to the Carolina Panthers, King changed numbers from #87 to #47. King recorded 21 receptions for 195 yards and had one touchdown reception against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. King also improved his career long catch, with at 31-yard reception against the

Arizona Cardinals

King was signed by the

on July 29, 2011.

Career statistics

Executive career

King was hired by the

as a pro scout in 2016. He was promoted to assistant director of pro scouting in 2019, and promoted again to director of pro scouting on July 6, 2021. On May 3, 2022, the team announced King was promoted to co-director of player personnel along with Trey Koziol.

Personal life

King graduated with a degree in finance and is enrolled in health and physical education in graduate school.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Jeff 1983 births Living people People from Pulaski, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football tight ends Virginia Tech Hokies football players Carolina Panthers players Arizona Cardinals players Chicago Bears executives